newstodate.aero
Feb 06, 2014 (newstodate): The row over WOW Air's slot applications for North Atlantic flights from Iceland might have been avoided if a more flexible stand had been taken by the carrier.
-Over decades, Icelandair has built up Keflavik Airport as an efficient hub for their European and North American traffic, creating specific peak hours with a high utilization of resources, says Frank Holton, Airport Coordination Denmark Managing Director.
-For some reason, WOW Air chose to pin their slot applications on the exactly the same departure and arrival peaks as Icelandair. If granted, this would force Icelandair into problems with corresponding slot times at the destination airports which would hardly be sustainable.
-The newcomer WOW Air was offered all the slots they needed within only about one hour's separation from Icelandair's peaks, but refused to accept this. Instead, they brought the issue to Iceland's competition authority that ruled that Isavia should allocate four slots to WOW Air.
-This decision was then referred by Isavia and Icelandair to the Competition Appeals Committee, which has suspended the issue pending the Committee's deliberations, and in the meantime WOW Air has reportedly decided not to launch the Trans Atlantic and other new flights as planned.
-With only some flexibility by WOW Air, the situation would never have developed into a confrontation. And it should also be noted that it is really not relevant to bring in the Icelandic Competition Authority as slot management is not an issue pertaining to national decisions as it has been delegated to EU jurisdiction.
-Actually, WOW Air never approached the Airport Coordination Denmark that took over the slot management in Denmark, the Faroe Islands and Iceland already in 2005, says Mr Holton.
-Over decades, Icelandair has built up Keflavik Airport as an efficient hub for their European and North American traffic, creating specific peak hours with a high utilization of resources, says Frank Holton, Airport Coordination Denmark Managing Director.
-For some reason, WOW Air chose to pin their slot applications on the exactly the same departure and arrival peaks as Icelandair. If granted, this would force Icelandair into problems with corresponding slot times at the destination airports which would hardly be sustainable.
-The newcomer WOW Air was offered all the slots they needed within only about one hour's separation from Icelandair's peaks, but refused to accept this. Instead, they brought the issue to Iceland's competition authority that ruled that Isavia should allocate four slots to WOW Air.
-This decision was then referred by Isavia and Icelandair to the Competition Appeals Committee, which has suspended the issue pending the Committee's deliberations, and in the meantime WOW Air has reportedly decided not to launch the Trans Atlantic and other new flights as planned.
-With only some flexibility by WOW Air, the situation would never have developed into a confrontation. And it should also be noted that it is really not relevant to bring in the Icelandic Competition Authority as slot management is not an issue pertaining to national decisions as it has been delegated to EU jurisdiction.
-Actually, WOW Air never approached the Airport Coordination Denmark that took over the slot management in Denmark, the Faroe Islands and Iceland already in 2005, says Mr Holton.